5 most underutilised WWE female wrestlers 

It is no secret that the quality of wrestling in the WWE Women's division has certainly gone up a few notches in the last couple of years. The likes of Charlotte and Becky Lynch have elevated the expectations from each match the women take part in.

Even those women who were in the WWE before the focus shifted to wrestling from glamour have upped their game -- case in point being the Bella Twins.

However, there are still many women wrestlers in the WWE like Emma who haven't got the push that they deserve. This list takes a look at the top five most underutilised women in WWE history.

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#1 Jillian Hall

Jillian had a blink and miss run as the Divas Champion

Jillian Hall was never considered to be a serious wrestler during her seven-year stint with the WWE. She was mostly known for her role as a 'fixer' for MNM and later, JBL.

Fans would remember her more for a number of awful gimmicks -- like having a growth on her face and her torturous singing gimmick. She did win the Divas title once with an upset victory over Mickie James but lost the title to Melina almost immediately.

Why Jillian remains a missed opportunity for WWE is due to the fact that as Macaela Mercedes, she had more than five years of experience wrestling on the independent circuit before she joined the WWE. Macaela had competed and won titles in multiple promotions like GLORY, CIW, BWCW, HPW, MCW and much more.

Hall has won 10 titles outside the WWE and regularly competed in intergender matches. In fact, her finishing move in the indies was the 450 splash which no WWE Diva had used at the time.

However, Hall was never projected as a serious contender in the WWE Women's division and her talents were not fully utilised.

#2 Gail Kim

Gail Kim is a TNA legend

A six-time TNA Women's Champion, Gail Kim was grossly underutilised in the WWE. Debuting at a time when WWE was looking at alternatives to Trish Stratus and Lita, Kim promised exactly that.

She debuted following a number of Matrix-inspired vignettes and was very athletic as the hype suggested. She went on to win the WWE Women's Championship in a Battle Royale on her first night on RAW.

However, WWE lost faith with the future PWI ranked best female wrestler in the world. Kim lost her title to a cold as ice Molly Holly on RAW and was never considered to be a serious contender for the title again during her two separate stints with the company. She asked for her release the night she infamously eliminated herself from a #1 Contender's Battle Royal match on RAW in 2011.

Kim went on to TNA, creating history as the joint record holder of most Women's titles and was even be inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame. She recently had a match at GFW Destination-X PPV.

#3 Katie Lea Burchill

Katie Lea aka Winter is a former TNA Knockouts Champion

Katie Lea Burchill's first angle in the WWE was the controversial incest gimmick with her on-screen brother Paul. But after that was nixed due to the WWE going PG, she was left without any direction and eventually released.

She should have been used more judiciously if her stint at Frontier Wrestling Alliance is anything to go by. Wrestling under the ring name Nikita, Katie held the Women's title and even had a memorable spot when she executed a splash from the top tier of the arena on to the ground.

Katie would confirm her charisma when she made the switch to TNA. Wrestling as Winter, she held the TNA Knockouts and Knockouts tag team title and had a memorable angle with Angelina Love.

WWE's loss doesn't seem to be in a position to be redeemed as Katie has now transitioned to acting and no longer considers wrestling as her top priority.

#4 Natalya

Never considered to be the focus of the Women's division

A ten-year veteran in the WWE, Natalya is a former Divas Champion and is the current No. 1 contender for the Smack Down Women's title. While critics and contemporaries alike call her one of the best technical wrestlers in the women's division, it cannot be denied that she hasn't been used properly by the company.

Debuting on the main roster in 2008, Nattie floundered for a year before the return of her uncle Bret Hart to the company gave greater visibility to her stable the Hart Dynasty. But it was after the split of the stable that Natalya finally won singles gold.

She defeated Michelle McCool and Layla for the Divas title at 2010 Survivor Series and competed in the first ever Divas Tag team tables match alongside Laycool and Beth Phoneix at the next TLC PPV. But WWE never had faith in her for the long run and she lost her title at the Royal Rumble to Eve Torres -- who wasn't considered a serious wrestler then.

Natalya once again found herself without any sustainable angle and spent the next six years in a variety of gimmicks.

She may have earned the right to face Naomi for the Smack Down Women's title at this year's Summerslam, but don't be fooled into thinking that the WWE considers her at the same level as the likes of Sasha Banks, Charlotte or Alexa Bliss.

#5 Sara Del Rey

Sara Del Rey is the current NXT assistant head coach

Sara Del Rey is one of the finest wrestlers of her generation, having wrestled in numerous promotions before reaching the WWE in 2012.

Del Rey was the face of women's wrestling in Chikara, Shimmer and ROH when women's wrestling started to get serious traction at a time the WWE was still in the 'bra and panties' phase of their product.

In ROH, she became part of the famous 'Kings of Wrestling' stable alongside Chris Hero and Cesaro. She became the fourth female in history to make the PWI list of top 500 wrestlers in the world.

After her independent run, she joined WWE in 2012. Despite being only 32, she was assigned the role of a trainer in NXT and never wrestled a televised match for the WWE. Many female wrestlers including Charlotte and Sasha Banks have given glowing recommendations of the work she does at NXT and Del Rey is currently the NXT assistant head coach.

Despite this, it seems weird that WWE never chose to put her on TV on their main roster. Whether it was a decision made by the company or by herself, it was a blow for wrestling fans who wanted to see Del Rey in action in the WWE.